xiv CONTENTS 



CHAPTER XII 



SCORPIONS, SPIDERS AND CRABS 



Musical Lovers among Spiders and Scorpions — Colour among 

 Spiders, and its uses — The Spiders' Dance of Death — Spiders 

 and Conjugal Bliss — How Pairing is accomplished — Scorpions 

 in Love — Musical Crabs — Quarrelsome Fiddler-crabs — Crabs 

 and Courtship in the Deep Sea — Amazons among Prawns 

 — Brine-shrimps and Water-fleas — " Natural ** v. " Sexual " 

 Selection ......... ^36 



CHAPTER XIII 



SOMB STRANGB MARRIAGB-CUSTOMS : AND VIRGIN BIRTHS 



The Courtship of the Cuttle-fish — The Sumptuous Cradle of the 

 Argonaut — The Love-darts of the Snail — Hermaphrodites and 

 the Dangers of Self-fertilization — Oysters and Beauty — Sex 

 reduced to its Lowest Terms — Parthenogenesis and Virgin 

 Birth — The Story of the Hive-Bee — The Departure of the 

 Queen — The New Queen and her Marriage-flight — The Cele- 

 bration of the Nuptials and its Surprising Sequel — The Widowed 

 Queen turns Executioner — The Queen as Mother — The Queen's 

 Daughters — Nursemaids' Duties — Change of Work — The Drones 

 and their Career — Food and Sex — The Bumble-bee and its 

 Life-story ......... 26% 



CHAPTER XIV 



PARTHBNOGBNBSIS AND ITS SBQUBL 



Courtship among the Ants — The Great Renunciation — ^Maternity 

 carried to Extremes — Where Males are Superfluous — De- 

 generate Males — Keeping Death at Bay — Where Females arc 

 Unknown ......... 296 



